Abstract
SummaryThe derivation and definitions of the word “savannah” are discussed.The roles of fire, grazing and shifting cultivation as limiting factors in the savannah habitat are briefly considered. The savannah regions of Africa are made up of communities of plants and animals which have been “deflected” from their normal course of ecological succession by the influences of cultivation, fire, grazing and browsing.Fire‐sensitive plants are those which have not developed a resistance to burning. Many plants, for example “geophytes”, have become fire‐tolerant.The ability of woody plants to survive underground and regenerate quickly in savannah regions when given respite from grass fires for a few years is one of the reasons why regrowth is so difficult to control in overgrazed country, tsetse control clearings and areas protected from fire.The savannah regions can be regarded as areas of natural or semi‐natural vegetation which provide a habitat for wild and/or domestic ungulates. Therefore, it is from the rangeland aspect that the possibilities for further research in the savannah habitat should be considered.To succeed in future research projects, the disciplined co‐operation of the local people is essential.A few suggestions for some of the more obvious lines of research are:1. Prolonged investigations on the effects of fire, grazing and browsing on all types of savannah country.2. More intensive investigations on root systems and soil moisture relationships of the plants concerned are necessary.3. Studies of the nutritive value of different plants.4. Closer investigation into the cultivation of land for subsistence agriculture when it might be put to better use as rangeland is necessary.5. The possibilities of using all suitable parts of the savannah regions to the best advantage must be investigated in detail.6. The conservation and use of wild life resources must be studied as an integral part of savannah research.
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